THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
14 SEPTEMBER 1918 – SPANISH FLU STRIKES SOUTH AFRICA
Between 1918 and 1919 a serious outbreak of influenza, or flu, affected people all over the world and left millions dead. The deadly virus was called Spanish flu.
Spanish flu, also known as the Great Flu, gravely affected the body’s immune system. The immune system is made up of cells that are meant to help our bodies fight off illness and stop us from getting sick. This virus, however, caused the immune system to attack itself.
It was highly infectious and was regarded as a pandemic – a disease that spreads to many people across a wide geographic area over several months. The virus didn’t come from Spain, though. Spain was the first country to have reliable reports about the virus and that’s how it got its name.
On 14 September 1918, the first South African was diagnosed with
Spanish flu in Durban. Almost half the South African population at the time, which was around 6 million, contracted the virus.
Families became seriously ill with symptoms like body aches, sore throat and fever. Many patients also struggled to breathe as the virus attacked their lungs.
At the time there was no cure.
It’s believed one way the virus was brought under control was that strict hygiene measures were put in place – like sanitising during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The virus caused the deaths of between 40 and 50 million people around the world.